The Avengers What sort of MARKETING does THE AVENGERS need to bring in the GA that are not fans?

[Shadowlord X]

This has been a question on my mind for some time, especially when watching the marketing for recent comicbook movies.

I believe that sometimes mistakes are made in marketing wherein they design it to hype up people who are already fans and don't design it well enough to attract non-fans. The best example of this was the last 2 trailers for GL. First off this is not an attack on GL. As someone who was not a fan of GL I found that the last 2 trailers seemed to be designed to appeal to GL fans; as a non-fan they didn't get me interested at all, and in fact some thing made me wonder if they were trying to turn regular folks away, e.g., little green rings flying through space in the last trailer.

On to THE AVENGERS, assuming that the first real teaser trailer for THE AVENGERS is going to be made up D23 footage, then I would ask are those scenes designed to attract the non comicbook fan. Let's look at some of those scenes:

- THOR bringing down Mjolnir on CAP's shield.
- THOR and IM in a camraderie handshake.
- The iconic shot of CAP leaping out of the helicoptor with arms outstretched.
- Tony Stark and LOKI's banter with the 'We have a HULK.' line.

My question to everyone is are those scenes that will attract the average moviegoer or are they just things geared towards fans?

One might say that D23 attendees were going to be fans and thus the footage might have been designed as such.

The thing for me is that fans are already sold on this movie. There is no MARVEL fan who is not going to see this. Thus to me the marketing needs to be geared to attracting the average moviegoer.

Let me know what you think.

 

[scifiwolf]

I think, at this point, it's going to be people who saw the individual movies, either in the theater or at home, and that's it. I don't see them bringing in new audiences at this stage in the game.

 

[Mysteryman]

I would have RDJ upfront in EVERY ad .
Give them the feel that it is Iron Man Two and a Half".
GA Might not know The Avengers ,but they know and Love Iron Man.

 

[November Rain]

non fans would definitely like a hulkbuster suit and an iron man hulk, thor free for all

action

general ribbing ('who's the girl' line was pretty good)

maybe a line up shot or a rollcall piece.

then again, mainstream people like to see things through the eyes of the main antagonist so maybe a loki central trailer, perhaps set in the near future where hes just about to defeat the avengers, with a copycat scene of where cap speaks to thanos with a piece on fury coming back in time to averting it with the newly assembled team.

there's too much emphasis on putting moving clips in, i say make a small 3 minute short that sets the tone and sets it all up, like for the dc online game they did. that would work perfectly in this context

 

[Chewy]

They need to consistently show how BIG this movie is, and play up the bromances.

I think, at this point, it's going to be people who saw the individual movies, either in the theater or at home, and that's it. I don't see them bringing in new audiences at this stage in the game.

This is the one and only point where non fans will be brought in.

 

[warcam]

There definitely need to be some "money shots" in there similar to:

INDEPENDENCE DAY: (the White House getting blown up)
X3: (the Golden Gate Bridge being ripped apart)
TF: DOTM (Chicago being destroyed)

The GA needs to be made aware that, in The Avengers, some serious *****'s about to go down. They need to see something to make them say:
a) How'd they do that?, and
b) What is the outcome?

And I agree about making RDJ front and center, at least as far as getting asses in the seats. Make Hulk's presence known as well, so that, even though TIH didn't do as well as the rest, the GA will recognize the big green guy and know that, with The Hulk, anything's possible. Keeping my fingers crossed that ILM gives him the Avatar/Gollum/King Kong treatment so you really feel like you're watching a true flesh 'n blood character. TIH was the only MCU movie I didn't see at the theater because of how The Hulk looked. I proudly own the Blu-ray, but the daytime campus scenes really take me out of the film, unfortunately.

 

[Liam_H]

All they have to do is sell how epic the movie is and that can be done by showing everyone that is gathering together similar to what they did with Cap's end credits. Also they need to show the huge threat, one money shot to show something blowing up real good or have the Hulk go on a rampage.

 

[Spider-X]

one word: Trailers

The movie will sell itself really...word of mouth will be and already is huge on this movie. It's not going to need much to make sh** ton of money.

 

[Dark Raven]

I would say don't feature the Hulk too heavily in the trailer. A lot of the GA DON'T like the Hulk and think he's a bit of a mindless monster. If they think Hulk is a huge focus, they might not go see this film. It doesn't matter if Hulk fans think they're being cheated and not given as much air time as the others in the trailer. He'll get his due in the film itself. The idea is to get people into the theatre and ticket sales, and if they end up being pleasantly surprised by the Hulk, then all the better for it.

I say put the main emphasis on Iron Man and RDJ, and then on Evans and Hemsworth. Iron Man and RDJ are the big box office draws, so use that to its full advantage. Also show the star power of this movie by showing shots of SLJ, Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo.

Then show the threat and any destruction. But also show some witty moments.

 

[dony2012]

And I agree about making RDJ front and center, at least as far as getting asses in the seats. Make Hulk's presence known as well, so that, even though TIH didn't do as well as the rest, the GA will recognize the big green guy and know that, with The Hulk, anything's possible. Keeping my fingers crossed that ILM gives him the Avatar/Gollum/King Kong treatment so you really feel like you're watching a true flesh 'n blood character. TIH was the only MCU movie I didn't see at the theater because of how The Hulk looked. I proudly own the Blu-ray, but the daytime campus scenes really take me out of the film, unfortunately.

You are right. And that's what I thought they were going to do, but now after comic-con I'm not so sure. I think they will want to show Cap as front and center, and to be honest, that's a TERRIBLE idea!

The GA LOVES Iron Man, they will not like to see him in the side lines.

I mean, Captain America didn't even made over 200 million in the U.S.! And it had the advantage of being in 3D!

 

[Raiden]

They collect many amazing talents for this movie, and they can showcase them in the trailers and I think even the non-fans will be curious enough to check it out. With RDJ, ScarJo, SLJ, Raffalo, and Renner all well-known outside the genre, and the dual Hemsworth/Evans tag team for the ladies, they can show that this movie is not just for action fans or comic fans, but it can be enjoyed by young or old, male or female. And if TF3 can sell the destruction for Chicago, then the Avengers must do the same for New York City but with real actors and not CGI robots. ILM has done the F/X for both movies, so I hope they can get the job done.

 

[Shadowlord X]

You are right. And that's what I thought they were going to do, but now after comic-con I'm not so sure. I think they will want to show Cap as front and center, and to be honest, that's a TERRIBLE idea!

The GA LOVES Iron Man, they will not like to see him in the side lines.

I mean, Captain America didn't even made over 200 million in the U.S.! And it had the advantage of being in 3D!

Sorry, what's your basis for saying they will make CAP front and centre?

 

[dony2012]

Sorry, what's your basis for saying they will make CAP front and centre?

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Avengers-Assemble-Poster-.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr...400586&Signature=F83sHVGPyapHkAULd4yJx7lyNOw=

http://m64.photobucket.com/image/th...011_hasbro_movie_avengers_01.jpg.html?src=www


And to do that would be the equivalent of putting Orlando Bloom front and centre in all of the Pirates of the Caribbean posters and not Johnny Depp!

Such a stupid idea from Marvel Studios. Cap/Chris Evans is fine, but he is not Tony Stark/RDJ.

He's not the reason people will want to go see the movie. He's not the big box office draw. RDJ IS.

 

[Shadowlord X]

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/Avengers-Assemble-Poster-.jpg

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr...400586&Signature=F83sHVGPyapHkAULd4yJx7lyNOw=

http://m64.photobucket.com/image/th...011_hasbro_movie_avengers_01.jpg.html?src=www


And to do that would be the equivalent of putting Orlando Bloom front and centre in all of the Pirates of the Caribbean posters and not Johnny Depp!

Such a stupid idea from Marvel Studios. Cap/Chris Evans is fine, but he is not Tony Stark/RDJ.

He's not the reason people will want to go see the movie. He's not the big box office draw. RDJ IS.

I think your belief that RDJ as IM should be at the forefront is absolutely correct, but I don't believe that those show otherwise.

I think those show that CAPTAIN AMERICA will be the team leader of THE AVENGERS. However MARVEL is smart enough to know that RDJ as IM is the main draw.

 

[Shadowlord X]

Here's my thoughts on this topic so far.

Marketing has to very careful about how they promote this movie as to not fall into the trap of focusing too much on just hyping up fans. That said hyping up fans is important as we fans through our enthusiasm will entice others.

What will entice or even hype non-fans:

1: EPIC SCALE and INTENSITY. The trailers for TF3 are a good template for this (as indeed is the actual scale and the action sequences in the movie). The trailers for THE AVENGERS have to give off true EPICNESS with appropriate MONEY SHOTS; the toppling skyscraper in TF3 trailers is a comparable example. Needless to saw the VFX in these money shots (and the movie as a whole of course) have to be mindblowingly spectacular. One that potentially comes to mind is the SHIELD HELICARRIER.

2: THE NEWNESS of the concept. This is the first of it's kind cinematically. A franchise born out of merging several other franchises. It has to be promoted as the next big thing in cinema, just like Avatar did with 3D. Just the promoting of this radically new concept can be enough to pique people's curiosity.

3: MOVIE EVENT OF THE YEAR (if not DECADE). This is sort a combination of the first two but is also a separate slant to push in the promotions. The thing is it's actually true. This is the movie event of the year. This movie's EVENT STATUS needs to be pushed and get anyone who goes to cinema with any regularity into seats.

4: RDJ as Tony Stark / IRON MAN. I agree with all who say this. He's going to be the main draw and the trailers need to have him at the forefront with his witty banter and IRON MAN in action. I actually think that the witty banter between him and LOKI from the D23 footage with the 'We have a HULK.' line is gold and is both GA and fan hyping.

5: THE HULK. Irrespective of the mediocre BO performances of the prior movies THE HULK is still an iconic and known character. But his promotion in the trailers has to be just enough and how much that is depends on one thing: How good the new VFX for him are. His look was too fake in the last 2 movies and that took too much of the audience out of it. If it hasn't improved significantly since TIH then keep to one shot, preferably one a night shot. If it has improved whereby he is looking real with spectacular VFX then 2 or 3 shots of him showing off these effects.

4: Clashes. Whilst one might think that these are mainly fan hyping I think some brief shots of clashes between our heroes can stimulate non-fan interest. A particular person might not have been interested in seeing a THOR movie or a CAP movie but seeing them fight may be more interesting. In particular THOR vs IRON MAN and THOR vs HULK are ones that can get the GA's juices flowing.

5: SLJ in some scenes of intensity. SLJ is not a big draw but he brings credibility and familiarity and a sort of a 'Hey, SLJ is in this? I might check it out' sort of vibe.

 

[Shadowlord X]

What should marketing avoid? Scenes in trailers that would excite fans but might would have no impact or be deemed campy and corny by the GA:

- anybody shouting 'AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!'.
- a landing quinjet and a bunch of costumed heroes walking out of it.
- iconic poses that would have no impact on the GA.
- too many clash scenes; this will really excite fans but might leave many of the GA thinking this is just some silly superhero vs superhero movie.

 

[Spider-Vader]

GL didn't bomb because it had bad marketing. It bombed because it looked like a bad movie since the first trailer & guess what, it was true.

As for the GA, I think Iron Man needs to be a focus in marketing. The team aspect needs to be shown too. I think people who've never seen any of the MCU movies might get interested in Avengers when they find it out, all of the movies are tied together.

 

[Marvel]

GL didn't bomb because it had bad marketing. It bombed because it looked like a bad movie since the first trailer & guess what, it was true.

As for the GA, I think Iron Man needs to be a focus in marketing. The team aspect needs to be shown too. I think people who've never seen any of the MCU movies might get interested in Avengers when they find it out, all of the movies are tied together.

Good point about Green Lantern.

This movie will market itself. Anyone that saw the first two Iron Man films will see Avengers and if they create event buzz then it's all pure gravy after that.

PS- they could start a rumor that Heath Ledger shot a cameo for this film before passing.

 

[Liam_H]

GL didn't bomb because it had bad marketing. It bombed because it looked like a bad movie since the first trailer & guess what, it was true.

GL looked like a bad movie because of the marketing, I mean that's what trailers or TV Spots are. The teaser made people think it was some cheesy hero like it was the FF films. Then they couldn't release anything else until May because the FX needed a lot of work. By that time it was kind of late to build awareness.

 

[Shadowlord X]

GL looked like a bad movie because of the marketing, I mean that's what trailers or TV Spots are. The teaser made people think it was some cheesy hero like it was the FF films. Then they couldn't release anything else until May because the FX needed a lot of work. By that time it was kind of late to build awareness.

Your first point is very correct. I don't want to turn this into a GL debate or argument but GL's opening weekend ticket sales were less than that of Ghost Rider. This is because the GA were not impressed by the trailers and tv spots. I believe part of that was because the last 2 trailers were designed more to get GL fans back on board rather than attract non-fans.

But PLEASE, let GL rest in peace. I don't want to discuss that. It was an example, that's all.

 

[antovolk]

From what I read about the D23 footage, I think it could potentially work in a trailer...
Fact is also, The GA need to acknowledge the fact that MARVEL have been building up to The Avengers over quite a bit of time...
So my idea for a trailer would be...

1. Starts off with a short version of the History of the MCU montage from D23 - featuring the previous films + the post credit scenes establishing the connections. Basically consisting of footage between the text "FROM TECHNOLOGY, TO MYTHOLOGY, FROM SCIENCE, TO LEGEND, HAS ALL BEEN LEADING TO THIS" (that's how it was at D23) ending with Fury telling Stark - "I'm here to talk about the Avenger Initiative'...

2. Cue Disney/MARVEL logos

3. The action montage from D23 - with Fury explaining the purpose of the Avengers in a voice-over "And there came a day" etc.

3. And ending with the epic Loki/Stark "We have a Hulk" bit - footage of each of the characters intercut with Stark's "rollcall" - "two master assassins, a demigod, a living legend who actually lives up to the legend"...then reveal the Hulk after the "we have a Hulk'' line, just like D23, before the logo comes up.

Basically overall, a short trailer version of the D23 footage!

 

[Liam_H]

Your first point is very correct. I don't want to turn this into a GL debate or argument but GL's opening weekend ticket sales were less than that of Ghost Rider. This is because the GA were not impressed by the trailers and tv spots. I believe part of that was because the last 2 trailers were designed more to get GL fans back on board rather than attract non-fans.

But PLEASE, let GL rest in peace. I don't want to discuss that. It was an example, that's all.

All I'm saying is that the marketing did fail for that movie. I'm not bashing on GL, in fact that was my most anticipated movie of this summer. I think the last two trailers for GL was to attract GA by showing them they were getting an epic space superhero movie, the regular GL fans would've showed up regardless.

The marketing for the Avengers is already half done for Disney but they can certainly mess it up just like WB did for GL.

 

[Hawkingbird]

I would say don't feature the Hulk too heavily in the trailer. A lot of the GA DON'T like the Hulk and think he's a bit of a mindless monster. If they think Hulk is a huge focus, they might not go see this film. It doesn't matter if Hulk fans think they're being cheated and not given as much air time as the others in the trailer. He'll get his due in the film itself. The idea is to get people into the theatre and ticket sales, and if they end up being pleasantly surprised by the Hulk, then all the better for it.

I say put the main emphasis on Iron Man and RDJ, and then on Evans and Hemsworth. Iron Man and RDJ are the big box office draws, so use that to its full advantage. Also show the star power of this movie by showing shots of SLJ, Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo.

Then show the threat and any destruction. But also show some witty moments.

I agree. The teasers should be mainly made up of action scenes, it makes people think "Holy crap, this movie is awesome!" With little bits of witty lines from RDJ.
I sadly also agree with leaving out "Avengers Assemble" bit in the teaser. It would certainly get comic fans jippy, but little else. By all means put it in the movie though...
Also maybe a little bit of both Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans with their shirts off could do no harm...

 

[Chewy]

How did WB mess up the GL marketing? At first they sold the movie as what it was but nobody wanted to see that movie so the backlash started. Then they tried to sell it as something it wasn't (an epic space movie). If anything the over marketing and the misleading 2nd/3rd trailers were the only reason the movie cleared 100M at the BO.

 

[Shadowlord X]

Guys, please, come on. Forget about GL. Forget I said anything about it.

Let's focus on marketing for THE AVENGERS; what should be shown in trailers that would get butts in seats.

As I see it the GA can be divided into the following groups:

Group 0: Die-hard MARVEL fanatics and fanboys.
Group 1: MARVEL fans
Group 2: Regular moviegoers who have seen all the MCU movies
Group 3: Regular moviegoers who have seen one or more MCU movies but not all
Group 4: Regular moviegoers who have don't like the CBS genre and not seen MCU movies
Group 5: Non-regular moviegoers
Group 6: People who don't go to cinema but may come out for an event film


IMO the marketing has to be focused on attracting Groups 3 to 6.